Nematodes are parasitic, and their life cycle is fairly common across types. Although nematodes progress through the stages of egg, juveniles, and adult, it is the juvenile
stages that represent a threat. Juvenile nematodes travel toward identifiable food sources – the roots and the exudates. When they encounter a root system, the juveniles of some nematodes penetrate the root and move into the cell in search of nutrients. In some species of nematodes, females swell so large they break through the root surface and become visible to the naked eye. Impregnated by male nematodes, they fill with eggs and eventually die, their body cavities forming cysts that incubate hundreds of nematode eggs. Other nematodes feed from outside the root surface using needle-like structures, or stylets, to pierce the root, creating an opening that allows them to remove nutrients. Most nematode species complete several life cycles during a plant’s life, while a few species take a year
to finish the cycle. Because VOTiVO is living bacteria, it protects against the multiple life cycles of nematodes longer than competitive products.
Some nematode species can produce six generations
in a single year.